IMBA Trail Labs

IMBA Trail Labs

Trail Labs are in-depth workshops designed to catalyze the next generation of great places to ride mountain bikes. Attendees will learn what it takes to create a model trail community and return home with the knowledge and guidance for how to make it happen. Bentonville, Arkansas, a silver-level IMBA Ride Center, is the current host community for Trail Labs. The next one is scheduled for April 1-3, 2019.

Made possible by the Walton Family Foundation and Visit Bentonville

Want to create a great place to ride? We can help.

IMBA Trail Labs are two-day intensive workshops during which IMBA staff, trail industry experts and local stakeholders lead participants through the recipe for a model community trail system: planning, design, building, activation, promotion and measuring success. Attendees will also get a firsthand look at components of an intentional and diverse mountain bike trails community.

Individuals best-suited to attend the workshops are land managers, community officials, recreation professionals and tourism/economic development staff. This program is not intended for IMBA Chapter representatives. In addition to helping you understand the benefits of trails and the experiences desired by mountain bikers, we will provide the knowledge you need to get started making great trails happen locally and help you identify the next steps needed to bring more trails to your own backyards.

The next Trail Labs is scheduled for April 1-3, 2019. Following the seminars hosted in Bentonville, future Trail Labs will branch out to other great trail communities across the country.

Testimonial:“[We attended IMBA Trail Labs] to learn about mountain biking. We sort-of know about trails, but they’re a relatively new thing to us. We’re excited about economic development and a healthier lifestyle and, really importantly, the quality of life [that trails close to home will provide].”— Steve Arrison, Visit Hot Springs Arkansas CEO

Why NW Arkansas?

Arkansas is home to three IMBA Ride Centers (including Bentonville) and five IMBA EPICS. Not only do the Ozarks provide a beautiful landscape for creating trails, multiple cities and towns have embraced integrating mountain bike trail systems into their communities in ways that serve as models for locations nationwide. In addition to amazing and varied singletrack and bike parks, there are additional amenities and paved bike path connectors that make Arkansas a special place to live and visit as a mountain biker.

Afternoon tour of various mountain biking facilities, followed by an optional group ride and dinner on your own. (There will be no trail building.)

Day two theme: If you built it, will they come?

Activate It

Creating a plan for sustainability

Developing a programming strategy to take full advantage of the trails

Celebrating the grand opening

Adding natural-surface trail elements for spice

Activating and engaging partners

Developing new riders

Promote It

Getting community support for the project

Developing maps and websites

Hosting events, festivals and races

Measure It

Evaluating the impact of the trail facility

Trail counters and on-site surveys

Tracking volunteer hours

Data collection and management

Using data to improve the trail system

Afternoon tour of various mountain biking facilities, followed by an afternoon interactive session where attendees will begin to draft a plan for their community’s trail project while considering the six core ingredients (plan, design, build, activate, promote, measure).

Save the date!

The cost to attend is $400, which includes all registration fees, breakfast and lunch, shuttles for field workshops and evening festivities. Space is limited to the first 40 registrants. We kindly request that you send no more than two people from your community so we may welcome representatives from all across the U.S. Announcements will be made when registration opens for the next Trail Labs, April 1-3, 2019. Make sure to sign up for our eNews so you don't miss it!

Enjoy Bentonville, Arkansas

Do not fly into Little Rock, AR, if you can avoid it. It’s a much longer drive than the other options.

Greyhound Shuttles

From Springfield, MO, and Tulsa, OK, to Bentonville/Rogers, AR
From $30.00 to $60.00
Book on the Greyhound website

EAT & DRINK

Bentonville is a great destination for foodies; the Wall Street Journal named Bentonville as one of its up-and-coming culinary scenes in 2014. Menus change as the harvest changes. Farm-to-table culture is a big part of Bentonville's unique offerings.

Meet the team

Jessica grew up exploring the desert surrounding Las Vegas and always desired adventure. She choose to serve over 20 years in the U.S. Coast Guard, traveling throughout the United States and around the world. In 1994, while living in the San Francisco area, she picked up her first mountain bike and has never looked back.

Quick links

The guidance on this website, and in other IMBA documents, is for reference only and should not be interpreted as a standard, specification or regulation.
Mountain biking is inherently risky and could result in injury or death.